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Access to prenatal care in North Carolina: a comparative study of women with some prenatal care and women with no prenatal care

I
A SPECIAL REPORT SERIES BY THE N.C. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, DIVISION OF
HEALTH SERVICES, STATE CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS, P.O. BOX 2091, RALEIGH, N.C. 27602
No. 48 February 1989
ACCESS TO PRENATAL CARE
IN NORTH CAROLINA: A COMPARATIVE
STUDY OF WOMEN WITH SOME PRENATAL CARE
AND WOMEN WITH NO PRENATAL CARE
by
}. Michael Bowling
and
Patricia Riley
ABSTRACT
N.C. DOCUMENTS
CLEARINGHOUSE
MAY 22 1989
N.C. STATE LIBRARY
RALEIGH
During the decade ofthe eighties the overall number and percent ofbabies bom in North Carolina
to women with no prenatal care has increased dramatically. This paper examines the contributions of
attitudinal, and sociodemographic factors in distinguishing between women with no prenatal care
and women with some prenatal care but less than adequate care from the 1985 North Carolina birth
cohort.
Using a multivariate logistic regression model the sociodemographic factors that were found to be
important predictors of prenatal care include marital status, with married women more likely than
unmarried mothers to have received some prenatal care; employment, as women working at
full-time jobs more likely than others to have received care; parity, with first-time mothers more
likely than multiparous women to have received care; and income, with wealthier mothers more
likely to have received care.
Factors associated with the health care system were also important predictors of prenatal care.
Women who received their primary health care from a private physician, or health department were
more likely than those who did not have a regular source of care to receive some prenatal care. The
means through which a woman determines the existence of her pregnancy is also an important
predictor of care. Women who found out for sure they were pregnant from a private physician or
local health department were more likely to have received care than those who found out about their
pregnancy from another source.
The best predictor of prenatal care in the multivariate models was participation in the Women,
Infants and Children (WIC) Program. Whether WIC participation leads women into care or
prenatal care is the means through which women enter WIC cannot be determined from the data.

I
A SPECIAL REPORT SERIES BY THE N.C. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES, DIVISION OF
HEALTH SERVICES, STATE CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS, P.O. BOX 2091, RALEIGH, N.C. 27602
No. 48 February 1989
ACCESS TO PRENATAL CARE
IN NORTH CAROLINA: A COMPARATIVE
STUDY OF WOMEN WITH SOME PRENATAL CARE
AND WOMEN WITH NO PRENATAL CARE
by
}. Michael Bowling
and
Patricia Riley
ABSTRACT
N.C. DOCUMENTS
CLEARINGHOUSE
MAY 22 1989
N.C. STATE LIBRARY
RALEIGH
During the decade ofthe eighties the overall number and percent ofbabies bom in North Carolina
to women with no prenatal care has increased dramatically. This paper examines the contributions of
attitudinal, and sociodemographic factors in distinguishing between women with no prenatal care
and women with some prenatal care but less than adequate care from the 1985 North Carolina birth
cohort.
Using a multivariate logistic regression model the sociodemographic factors that were found to be
important predictors of prenatal care include marital status, with married women more likely than
unmarried mothers to have received some prenatal care; employment, as women working at
full-time jobs more likely than others to have received care; parity, with first-time mothers more
likely than multiparous women to have received care; and income, with wealthier mothers more
likely to have received care.
Factors associated with the health care system were also important predictors of prenatal care.
Women who received their primary health care from a private physician, or health department were
more likely than those who did not have a regular source of care to receive some prenatal care. The
means through which a woman determines the existence of her pregnancy is also an important
predictor of care. Women who found out for sure they were pregnant from a private physician or
local health department were more likely to have received care than those who found out about their
pregnancy from another source.
The best predictor of prenatal care in the multivariate models was participation in the Women,
Infants and Children (WIC) Program. Whether WIC participation leads women into care or
prenatal care is the means through which women enter WIC cannot be determined from the data.